The Independent Spirit Awards, which honour the year’s best smaller-budget independent filmmaking, have released its list of nominations for 2014.

Historical drama
12 Years a Slave led the pack with seven nominations, including best feature, best director (Steve McQueen) and best male lead for actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, who plays a free man captured into slavery in 1840s Louisiana.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE FOR GALLERY

Alexander Payne’s comedy-drama
Nebraska earned six nominations, which also included best director, best feature and best male lead.

Hollywood heavyweights who received nods were
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who snagged his first nomination for his screenplay for
Don Jon, and Matthew McConaughey for the best male lead for Dallas Buyers Club, in which he plays an AIDs-stricken cowboy.

Shailene Woodley and
Cate Blanchettare also both nominated in the category of best actress for their roles in
The Spectacular Now and Blue Jasmine, respectively.

The Independent Spirit Awards are scheduled for March 1 2014, the night before the
Academy Awards telecast.

Read the full list of nominees below:

BEST FEATURE
12 Years A Slave
All Is Lost
Frances Ha
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska

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